Photography influences how Michaela views the world and approaches life. She has visited and taken pictures on every continent except Antarctica. During a college semester abroad, she was in Bolu, Turkey, shortly after a severe earthquake. Connecting with and photographing people at a displaced persons camp, she says, changed her life forever. She now seeks to use her skills in technology to improve people's lives, especially in developing countries.

This goal is important to her work as a senior project officer at Forum One, where she supports many high-impact projects for foundations, government, and nonprofits, ensuring deliverables stay on schedule and on budget. She also develops web strategies that leverage organizational strengths, empower staff, and enable groups to do what they do best: make an impact. She's well up to the challenge. Previously, she was director of online strategy for World Learning, where she led a redesign and implementation of the organization's 8,000+ page web site. At Pact, Inc., she was a Congressional Hunger Fellow and development technologist, living for a time in Cambodia and Kenya to help manage and support women's microfinance and literacy programs. She is especially proud of an online storytelling framework and blog she helped create, which empowered women and program staff to better communicate their experiences to a wider audience.

Originally from Chicago, Michaela self-designed her bachelor's degree in web design and multimedia at Pennsylvania State University. She also holds a master's degree in communication, culture & technology from Georgetown University, where she focused on international development discourse and network theory. She is actively involved in the Nonprofit Technology Network and frequently presents on social media topics to the nonprofit community.

Michaela is a woman on the move. She has run in two marathons and started a running club. She is also often out adventuring with her dog, Atlas.

You may not know: Michaela's first job, at age 16, was as Chevy Chase Bank's youngest teller.

Her RSS feeds include: The Big Picture (News Stories in Photographs)

Her tags: Animal lover, Athlete, Blogger, Foodie, Idea generator, Photographer, Strategist, Techie, Volunteer, World traveler

Connect:
http://twitter.com/kalabird
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mhackner
http://www.facebook.com/home.php/michaelahackner
http://flickr.com/photos/kalabird